Dear Nobody
by Morgan-Kaze-Tsukai
Summary: Princess Meredy was never fond of all of the formalities of royal life, nor was she fond of Prince Zancrow. And, when it came down to it, she was pretty sure she hated him enough to run away with the stranger sending her letters to avoid him. Lyredy AU
1. Chapter 1

**Helloooo~ Morgan-Kaze-Tsukai is back again to start another story that will likely never be finished. This idea all started with me doodling Meredy in a princess dress and the phrase "She had never cared much for formalities" popping into my head, as story lines tend to do at random. The first chapter isn't all that great, buuuuuut hey. I'll keep going with it. It's summer now, and I need some form of entertainment. Soo, let's see where this goes :)**

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She had never cared much for formalities. This, perhaps, could be considered the root of ninety percent of her problems. She found herself amidst one of said dilemmas almost daily, and was enduring one at the current point in time, as a matter of fact.

She had been staring off into space, emerald eyes slightly glazed over, when she was broken from her train of thought by a sharp jab in her ribs. "Ow!" She hissed, whipping her head over to glare at her mother beside her as she rested her hand tenderly on the injury.

"Smile, Meredy," she instructed through her teeth. "Remember, this is all for you."

"But Ultear," groaned Meredy, dragging out the last syllable, "this is so _boring_. I can think of a million things I'd rather be doing right now, at the very least."

"Well, you're not doing one of those million things. You're here, so try and make the best of it, alright?" Returned Ultear in a voice that signaled she intended to end the conversation there.

Meredy huffed, slouching over once again in her seat. She would _love_ to make the best of it; to get up and dance and mingle with the guests. However, she was stuck here, as always, just sitting and observing. Perhaps her mother enjoyed such a lifestyle, but she found her confinement to this chair to be nearly unbearable. She squirmed around every thirty seconds just to ensure that she could still move and wasn't entirely stuck in her spot.

"Your highness," Spoke a man's voice, and Meredy looked down to find a blonde man kneeling with his head bowed at her feet. When he looked up, she recognized him as Zancrow, the prince of Grimoire, the kingdom beside her own. They were close partners in trade, though she was never particularly fond of the royal family. She found something about them unsettling, though she couldn't quite place her finger on what it was.

"What is it?" She inquired in a flat tone, earning another elbow to the ribs from her mother beside her, which caused her to emit a groan that she attempted to disguise as a cough.

"I would like to wish you a joyous birthday," he said, speaking so formally that Meredy felt vaguely uncomfortable. "…and to ask if I may perhaps dance with you."

Before she even had time to process his request fully, her mother answered for her. "She graciously accepts your offer."

She turned to Ultear to protest, but Zancrow had already stood and was holding out his hand to her. She took it cautiously, slowly rising from her seat and following after him.

"You're nineteen now, am I correct?" Asked Zancrow as they danced, attempting to make small talk.

"Yes, that would be why we're throwing a party," Meredy replied coolly, honestly wanting nothing to do with the creepy blonde man. Everything about him just rubbed her the wrong way.

"I see," He said as he spun her. "Then you'll need to pick a husband this year."

Meredy basically choked on her own saliva. "E-excuse me?" She sputtered, not believing how blunt he had been. Sure, wasn't exactly a stickler for manners, but there were some things that were just flat out uncomfortable to ask, especially seeing as the two weren't particularly close to one another.

"You need to find a husband," He repeated.

"I heard what you said," she all but spat, making a point of stepping on his toes with the next step of the dance. "Rather forward of you to say something as intrusive as that."

"I don't know that it was particularly intrusive," He returned, seemingly missing the venom laced within her words. "I was merely stating a fact, Lady Meredy."

"A fact that seems to have a not-so-hidden second meaning," she muttered under her breath.

"I suppose you've already guessed my motive to ask for dance," he said, making her wonder when and if he would ever stop talking and let her return to her seat. Perhaps sitting there felt like a strange form of torture at times, but she would have gladly taken that over dancing with this creep any day. "I'm not one for beating around the bush, so I'll just say it. I want you to be my wife."

She reared her head back, disgusted. True, she had known from the beginning what his intentions were, but to hear him come out and say them was an entirely different thing. He head was suddenly flooded with images of walking down the aisle to meet him, sitting in a throne beside him, holding a child with long, spiky pink hair… The last one was quite possibly more disturbing than anything she had ever imagined.

He continued on, unfazed by her reactions to his words and her own thoughts. "Certainly, it would be a logical choice. We rule two of the strongest kingdoms in the entire land. If we could merge them…"

She stepped away from him, holding up her hand to signal that she wanted him to stop. "I am flattered by your interest in me," she said, voice colder than ice, "but I refuse your offer. I would appreciate it if you would return to where you came from now. There is no need for you to remain in this place."

With that, she turned on her heel, marching straight back to her mother. She didn't dare to look back. She could practically feel the fury emanating from him; she had no desire to see it with her own eyes.

"That was a rather quick dance," Ultear noted suspiciously as her daughter reclaimed her spot.

Meredy responded with a vague, "Was it?"

Much to Meredy's relief, her decided against pressing any further into the matter, and the rest of the night continued without a hitch, just as uneventful as the first part of the so-called 'party' had been.

As soon as the last guest exited the room, Meredy sprang up from her chair, stretching her arms out as far above her head as they would go and letting out a colossal yawn. "I was beginning to think that would never end."

"Restless as ever, I see," Replied Ultear with a relaxed smile, far less uptight now that only she and her daughter remained. She was an entirely different person around others compared to how she acted with Meredy.

"To put it lightly," the rose-haired girl joked back. "Perhaps I should create a sense link next time so you can know my pain…?"

Ultear laughed. "I'm quite alright being ignorant of your suffering, but thank you for the kind offer."

"It's what I'm here for," Meredy grinned before wishing her mother a good night and ascending the stairs to her bedroom.

She felt all of the tension pent up inside of her flow out as she set foot into what she liked to think of her sanctuary. In her room, she didn't have to wear oversized dressed that restricted her movement. She didn't have to wear her hair up so tightly it hurt. She didn't have to sit up so straight that her back cracked and popped every time she moved. In her room, she could just be Meredy, not 'Lady' Meredy.

She immediately pulled her hair down from the confines of the bun it had previously been held in, pink locks tumbling all the way down her back. She gingerly plucked the tiara from her head, admiring the way it sparkled before setting it down on her desk.

Next to be lost were the excruciatingly painful high heels that had been suffocating her feet all night long. In taking them off, she instantly lost about half a foot of her height, leaving her even smaller than she had previously been (and that was pretty small).

After that was the obscenely massive dress, the suffocating corset, the gloves that made her feel like her hands were not her own… When nothing remained, she made her way over to the bath, running the water at a scalding hot temperature until the tub was filled and she slowly sank into it. This was another one of her favorite parts of being alone; taking baths so hot that all of her troubles seemed to melt away.

She let one issue remain for a while before melting, however. The issue of Zancrow. He was an absolute creep, and wanted to marry her to expand his land. What good would that do him? Were things not good enough now, with them trading their goods constantly? What was there to be gained from simply owning the land? The thought bothered her deeply, and she chose to forget about it for the time being. It may have been late at night, but it was still her birthday… she wasn't about to let it be ruined by such troubling thoughts.

There was one aspect of it, though, that she didn't mind pondering for a while… the need to find a husband.

In Meredy's kingdom, the prince or princess to be wed when theywere twenty. That was the law, and there was no disputing it. A member of the royal family who was not wed by that age could not inherit the throne. So, naturally, the nineteenth year was spent in search of a suitable spouse.

Not that Meredy would mind not inheriting the throne. Truth be told, she couldn't _stand_ the thought of being Queen. The job was just far too serious for her. But she was her mother's only daughter, so she had no choice. If she didn't get the throne, some distant relative would, and she knew that Ultear would hate that.

Meredy racked her brain for the current eligible bachelors. _Prince Gray… Princes Sting and Rogue… Prince Macbeth… and the prince of creeps._

She frowned slightly. The five weren't exactly her favorite people around… Though technically their kingdoms were on good terms now, she held a long standing grudge against Gray, and she suspected he wasn't too fond of her, either, as a result of their first meeting (she quickly pushed the memory to the back of her mind, not wanting to think of that dreadful encounter). Prince Sting was, to put it bluntly, a cocky asshole, and Rogue was no more than Sting's shadow (she smirked inwardly at the pun). Macbeth was… well, she wasn't quite sure how to say what Macbeth was. He was something else, that was certain. And Zancrow? Not a chance in heaven or hell.

She couldn't hold back the sigh that pushed past her lips. She had been excited to think up the possibilities, but now, she was utterly deflated. She had to pick one of five guys that she had not particular affinity towards to spend the rest of her life with and rule her country. Lovely.

Now low in spirits, she lifted herself from the water, pulling out the plug in the drain as she stood. She grabbed two towels, wrapping one tightly around her body and the other around her hair. After taking a minute to brush her teeth, she emerged from the bathroom and back into her room, making a beeline for her desk. She immediately sat down, removing a pink pen and a sheete piece of paper from the top drawer in the process, beginning to write the instant the paper hit her desk.

_Dear Nobody-_

_ It seems that another year has passed without my consent, and I now find myself sitting here as a nineteen year old. Odd, how time seems to fly only when you wish it not to. It's not as though I have a problem with being nineteen. Nineteen is a good age. I'm healthy and likely at the peak of my appearance. The issue here is that nineteen is almost twenty, and I have no desire to turn that wretched age. _

_It's not even that twenty is a particularly bad age. It's only that hell-hated law that fills my chest with the feeling known as anxiety. Why must I marry so young? I feel as though I'm still merely a newborn. The world is still so new to me, and there's so much I must see and do. Yet… I am about to be even more tied to this castle than I already am, and the thought scares me to my very core. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned in the views that I hold, and I'm romanticizing the entire situation, but I hold tight to the belief that marriage should be the result of love and love alone. Am I expected to find true love among five men that I detest by the time I turn twenty? Or am I just to pick one and hope I don't utterly despise him? The thought sickens me, though I fear that must be the case. I could beg and pray that the man I must be with dies, but I don't suppose a life of loneliness such as the one my mother has endured could be any better than life with someone I can't stand. _

_ Other than that saga, I suppose I'm doing alright. I'm well in health and enough so in spirit. I intend to explore the town a bit this weekend, and perhaps stop in some shops. It sounds trivial, but I find that the most trivial things in life often turn out to be among the most enjoyable. Take a dandelion for example. Such a small, useless flower. Yet, a smile can be brought to the face of any child just by making a wish on one._

_ I ought to cease this diatribe before it gets out of hand. As always, thank you for listening to the issues of an immature princess._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Meredy_

She smiled softly as she sealed the letter, addressing it to 'nobody'. Such an odd habit, she knew, but it was one she found she didn't have the heart to break.

She left the letter on her desk, pulling silk pajamas out of one of her dressers and rather unceremoniously throwing them on herself before she crawled into bed, shutting out the light in the process.

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**As always, review, follow, favorite, blah blah blah. It makes writing this more fun for me when I know what you guys think of it, so please let me know! ^.^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yoooooooooooo what up. I'm back. It's been like 5 months but I mean it's cool it's cool. Tbh I've been working on this since June, but I kept getting stuck and I literally could not figure out what I was doing. In all honesty I probably should've waited a few more chapters before I did this, but I already had a thousand words down with this situation and I just rolled with it. Grade A laziness amirite**

**Anywayyy sorry this took me about a thousand years. The ending is shit because I had no idea what I was doing but I hope it was worth the wait anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy**

She awoke the next morning to a cacophony of colossal proportions outside her bedroom window. Blinking her eyes open slowly, she rose from her laying position and stretched her arms out. When her eyes were finally all the way open, they burned at the immense amount of light. _Why is it so bright…?_ she wondered. _It can't be past seven..._ She grabbed the clock beside her bed, and was shocked at the discovery that it was already eleven in the morning.

She let out a curse at how late she had allowed it to get. Figuring she shouldn't waste any more time lazing around (lest she incur the wrath of her mother), she stood from her bed and made her way to her closet, dragging her feet across the carpet as she went.

She stood silently in the closet for a moment, attempting to overcome her grogginess enough to just pick out a dress. _C'mon, Meredy…_ _You can do it. Clothes. Clothes. Like that dress Princess Lucy wore last night… she was so pretty. Actually, she seems nice, too. Maybe I'll invite her over some time. Oh, and- _She shook her head, clearing her wandering thoughts. _Right. Clothes._

Just as she had finally cleared her head enough to select an outfit, there was a knocking that was all but frantic at the door. "Enter," She called, releasing a yawn as soon as the words were out of her mouth, all thoughts of her chosen dress flying out of her head and leaving her back at square one.

The visitor did as was told, shutting the door behind her. It was her favorite maid, Juvia.

"Meredy!" She gushed excitedly. A bit too excitedly for so early in the morning, the princess thought, before remembering that it was just an hour short of noon. That was Meredy's favorite thing about this maid, though; she didn't bother with formalities. She liked to think they were close, and the maid treated her as such. She wasn't 'Lady' Meredy to her. Just Meredy. She was the only person aside from her mother who called her that, much to Meredy's dismay.

"What is it?" She questioned, mirroring the smile on Juvia's face as she emerged from the closet. That girl's happiness was absolutely contagious.

"You have a visitor," Returned Juvia with the slightest giggle behind her hand. Cute, but exactly the kind of giggle someone giggled when they knew something that you didn't.

Now the princess was intrigued. "And who is it that's visiting so suddenly?"

Juvia strolled over to the window, opening the blinds (Meredy squinted as a result. It was even lighter than she knew). "Take a look for yourself."

Meredy followed the maid's instructions, peering down at the ground many stories below her bedroom. She had to squint to recognize faces due to the great distance. A mother with dark brown hair holding her child, a band of girls giggling and falling over themselves to see what was happening, a boy running around with spiked white hair… all she saw at first were the typical peasants of her kingdom. Amidst the crowd, however, she eventually spotted a carriage with two people walking in front of it. It took her a moment, but after a while, she recognized them as Erik and Sorano, two of the guards of the royal family in Oración.

Meredy whipped around and stared at Juvia, eyes wide as the realization hit her. "You don't think…?"

Juvia nodded eagerly, clapping her hands together. "That's exactly what Juvia thinks. It seems that Prince Macbeth has come to pay you a visit!"

Meredy's eyes just about popped out of her head at Juvia's confirmation of what she had already been suspecting. "What?!" She exclaimed, nonetheless surprised. "Why didn't anyone warn me of this? I-I would've woken up earlier, done my hair, chosen a nice dress…"

"It was a surprise to all of us," Juvia admitted, walking briskly over to the closet in front of Meredy. "Juvia just told Meredy's mother. She says she can delay him for an hour at most, but we can't waste any time. We need to get you ready to meet a prince."

Meredy agreed without any hesitation, quickly scurrying after the blue haired girl.

The two stood in the middle of the closet (which was easily the size of a peasant home), surveying their surroundings in an attempt to locate a suitable outfit.

"You really spare no expense on your clothes, do you, Meredy?" Juvia noted flatly.

Meredy shrugged sheepishly. "I'm a princess, what can I say? I might as well live it up since I can."

The maid laughed at this. "Yes, well, Juvia supposes that's true. But there is such a thing as going overboard."

The pink haired girl punched her lightly in the shoulder. "Ah, shut up and help me pick! We don't have all day!"

It was eventually decided that she should wear a short red dress with a yellow ribbon across the middle – Meredy said it was "fancy enough to please a prince while still retaining the casualty of not caring that he's visiting" (Juvia wasted no time in questioning the logic of this).

The instant the dress was on, Meredy was being rushed over to sit down in front of her vanity, Juvia picking up the brush and began working out the night's knots.

"So, do you have a preference for a certain prince currently?" Juvia made small talk as she brushed through Meredy's unruly hair, preparing to tie it up into the princess' favorite ponytail.

Meredy offered a heavy sigh in response. "…Not really. I guess I don't know any of them well enough, y'know? I mean, this is a _husband_ we're talking about. Someone I'm stuck with for the rest of my life. This isn't a decision I can just rush into."

"Juvia thinks Prince Gray is very handsome," offered the maid, "and fair, and-"

"-Kind, and smart, and _really_ handsome," Meredy finished the sentence with her. "Yes, I know. That's what you've been saying for years," The smile dropped from her face and she took on a rather serious disposition. "It's just… I know that I don't want Zancrow. He's such a creep, and something about him just rubs me the wrong way. Like, the _wrongest_ of ways. Gray and I have never really gotten along particularly well, so I'm hesitant to say that he's the one. I don't think I'd be able to look past our rather… _awkward_ history. Sting and Rogue are attached at the hip, so I'd feel awful if I picked one of them over the other. Even worse than separating them, I'm honestly a bit afraid that they'd _both_ come move into the castle, regardless of who I picked."

"So… Meredy wants to marry Prince Macbeth?" Juvia questioned, gathering Meredy's hair on top of her head. "To be honest, Juvia wasn't expecting that. I would've thought you would say Prince Zancrow."

Meredy nearly shook her head before remembering that her hair was being styled. "…No, I don't think so. I don't really know anything about him, much like the other princes. So while I don't think he's the one, I suppose I shouldn't be so quick to rule him out. To be honest, I don't see much potential there. He's a little too… pretty for me, if you know what I mean."

Juvia nodded, saying nothing back as she added the finishing touch – a black headband – before stepping back to admire her handiwork. "Okay. Juvia thinks you're ready. Good luck, and be sure to tell me everything when you're finished."

Meredy stood, tightly embracing the blue haired girl. "Thank you so much, Juvia. I don't know where I'd be without you."

The princess was out the door in an instant. Once she was gone, Juvia set to work cleaning up her room - a daunting task, considering how eccentric Meredy was. Upon straightening up her desk, she came across an envelope, addressed to 'nobody'. The maid let out a curious, "Hm,", but tucked it away to take to the mailbox regardless.

Meredy descended the stairs to find her mother seated on the couch across from Macbeth, sipping tea and holding light conversation. To an onlooker, it would've seemed like a pleasant conversation, a courteous exchange between queen and visiting prince. But Meredy knew. She could see the irritation behind her mother's eyes. She knew that the instant the prince was out the door, she'd be getting an earful.

Meredy took a good look at Macbeth, taking advantage of the frame of time before the pair spotted her. She hadn't seen him often. It was rare for him to leave the castle; rumor had it that he was working non stop with the war between the kingdoms of Oración and Dreyar, so if he wasn't making battle strategies, he was fast asleep. Even before the war, though, Meredy couldn't recall seeing his his face particularly frequently.

She examined his appearance closely. She had to admit, he was pretty attractive. He had piercing red eyes with eyelashes so long for a boy (though, she questioned whether that was the work of nature or of mascara. She leaned strongly towards mascara), and his full lips were a dark shade of plum. She doubted how natural his two-tone hair was, though she opted to keep the question to herself. He wasn't a bad looking guy. If his personality was decent, she thought she might've reached her decision.

She cleared her throat to alert the pair to her presence, and both Macbeth and her mother looked up at her, Ultear smiling warmly at the sight of her daughter. At least, once again, that's what it would've looked like to someone who didn't know Ultear. To someone who did, however, the threat of 'if-you're-ever-late-again-I-swear-you'll-be-dead' was evident in her eyes.

"Ah, good morning, Meredy," she greeted. "I was afraid you would sleep straight through our guest's visit." The passive aggression in her comment wasn't hidden to anyone.

Meredy took a seat beside her mother, grabbing the cup of tea she assumed was reserved for her from the coffee table.

"Ah, I couldn't deprive such an important visitor my presence," She joked lightly as she took a sip, attempting to keep her face straight despite the rather bitter taste of it. "So, Prince Macbeth, may I ask what brings you here so suddenly?"

"I simply wanted to meet you, Lady Meredy," He spoke in a smooth voice. A bit uncomfortably smooth, actually.

"Not that I'm upset by your visit, but… is there a reason that you couldn't have requested to visit, rather that just appearing out of the blue? You can't deny that it is rather sudden."

That comment was apparently grounds for an elbow to the ribs from Ultear. Man, she was violent lately.

"I don't have much time lately, what, with the fact that my kingdom is at war, so I didn't know whether I'd be able to come until the very last second," He said, placing down his cup. "It's a miracle I even had the time to stop by today."

He was a bit too arrogant for Meredy's liking. The way he worded it made it sound as though she should feel blessed that she was even breathing the same air as him.

"Yes, I'm so honored," she spoke flatly. She had already had more than enough of his attitude, and he hadn't spoken more than two sentences to her. "I don't know what I would've done today had you not come to visit me."

"Yes, well," He replied, pausing to take a sip of his tea. "I'm here now. So, tell me, Lady Meredy. What is there to do here in Maguilty?"

She shrugged, giving in to her temper like a child. "I don't know. Things. I don't find that Maguilty is particularly different from other kingdoms in that sense. We have the same attractions and activities as anyone else."

"Ah, surely there's something that sets your kingdom apart from the others?"

"Well… there's the festival," Meredy grumbled. She couldn't fight off the excitement that bubbled up inside of her when she said that, and she hated it. She didn't want to appease this self centered boy.

"Festival?" He prodded. "Please, tell me more."

She gave up on her angry facade as she spoke. "Our New Year's festival. Not to brag, but we were the founders of the festival. Everyone else is always so caught up with war, with money… But Maguilty… Our concern is just the happiness of the citizens. It's gorgeous, really. We team up with King Makarov of the Dreyar kingdom and Princess Lucy of the celestial kingdom, and all of our people partake in it. There are floats, fireworks, dances… It's absolutely amazing. Come to think of it, I've seen citizens of most of the kingdoms there, but I have yet to recognize anyone from Oración. Why is that, Sir Macbeth?"

"We're not on good terms with either of those kingdoms," He replied curtly, seemingly through clenched teeth. "Our people are better off celebrating the new year in their homes with their comrades."

"I really don't like people like you."

The words slipped past Meredy's lips without her even realizing, causing Macbeth to look at her with wide eyes and her mother to let out a horrified gasp. "Meredy!" Ultear exclaimed, then quickly turned to Macbeth. "I-I'm so sorry, prince, Meredy is just joking around. Sh-she just doesn't know who it's appropriate to say-"

"No, I mean it," Meredy stated, deciding to go along with what she had started. "You think you know your people, but really, you don't. You say they're 'better off'- but are they really? Have you gone to every single resident in your kingdom and _asked_ if they would rather spend New Years together or at a festival? I highly doubt that you did. Don't decide things for people without consulting them."

"Meredy," Ultear snapped. "That's quite enough."

"No, I'm not done," Stated the princess, fire burning in her eyes now. "Why not make all of their life choices for them, hmm? Pick out their meals. Name their children. Give them only a few options for who they'll marry, and give them no more than a year to decide who they're going to spend their entire damn life with!"

Ultear and Macbeth just stared at her, eyes wide and jaws dropped. Who would've thought that the calm, if sarcastic, princess would lose her temper in such a way?

Finally realizing the gravity of all she'd said, Meredy clasped a hand over her mouth, cheeks burning pink. But she didn't apologize. She didn't take back a single word. She just turned around and sprinted back up the stairs, slamming the door behind her and sliding to the floor.

"What. did. I. just. do."

**Okeeeeey y'all should review and whatnot because nothing makes me happier than seeing what you guys have to say about my stories. Also you should read Thunderclap which is by my bestiee and me bc idk man I think it's pretty decent but no one reads it bc it's an OC story sigh. But yeah. Also tell me if there's anything specific you'd like to see happen. I have the general outline of what I'm planning on doing and I know like a few specific things that I'd like to do in some chapters, butttttttt other than that I'm just kinda wingin it.**

**OH YEAH and did you catch my Lyon reference? Teehee I felt so clever even though it's like kindergarten level obvious. Anyway tho I'm rambling okay byeeeeeeee maybe I'll update sometime eventuallyyyyyyyyy**


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